DEEPER LOOK

Congress Scrutinizes Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ Private Email Use

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) requested copies of government-related messages sent or received on private accounts.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ use of private email accounts is under scrutiny, with the chairman of the House Oversight Committee requesting copies of government correspondence sent and received through the accounts. According to Reuters, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sent a letter to DeVos on Monday requesting the materials and gave her until July 29 to comply. The Education Department’s press secretary said the letter was “nothing more than political grandstanding” and that the department watchdog already completed a review on the matter. In May, the watchdog concluded DeVos did sometimes use personal accounts for government purposes and did not always save the emails properly. However, it noted the secretary did not do it extensively and was not using it actively.

The request comes after Cummings scrutinized White House senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s use of personal email accounts in official correspondence. The White House has not produced any of the materials requested by the chairman.